Health Care’s Knowledge ProblemNational Journal Magazine

October 1, 2013

White Sox fans leaving Yankee Stadium on Sept. 3 may have been briefly convinced that the Yankees were the Evil Empire no longer. What kind of intergalactic despot offers free prostate cancer screening to men over 40, anyway? While it seemed like a nice gesture, it’s likely counterproductive. Regarding the prostate-specific antigen screening, the evidence from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is clear: The PSA tests don’t work, and lead to overdiagnosis of prostate tumors and unnecessary treatment, with a high cost to health and finances. Yet they continue to be used.